Tom and Jerry Review

Tom and Jerry was a cartoon that I never really watched as a kid. I grew up on early-generation Nicktoons, when cartoons weren’t about childish goofiness and could actually include comedy that even adults could appreciate. Today though, cartoons are accessible to only the least mature of people. Aside from Nick, I was a fan of the Ninja Turtles and Looney Toons. Again, Tom and Jerry never ranked high on my list, though I have seen it.

Being that I haven’t seen much of the show, I’m not sure if it is loyal to the franchise or not. I remember just a couple days ago asking a friend if aliens were in the show, and he said that there was an episode or two with them. I’ll take his word for it.

I don’t catch the story, but who cares. Locations include the movie theatre, a junkyard with a lot of waste, a toy store, and a hazardous kitchen. Along the way to your mouse hole, you’ll encounter some pesky enemies, including the boss of each level, Tom. Tom doesn’t chase you like a normal cat, but will instead use items such as bombs to try to kill you.

Use his schemes against him by doing things, such as pressing buttons to close the hole in which the bomb will fall. By doing this, it creates a bridge for the bomb to cross, and you’ll have to get it all the way across using the bridge approach, while bombs continue to come from the right side of the screen.

The levels in this game are filled with pests. Enemies that you might encounter include, but are by no means limited to, rats, roaches, robots, and even flying things, such as planes. Throw green balls at enemies to kill them. Jumping on them multiple times will also kill them. Hearts display the amount of health that you have left. Collecting cheese will replenish your health one heart.

The graphics in this game are standard SNES quality. You’ll find a satisfying amount of character variety, along with detail, and level differential. The same can’t be said for the sound, which is pretty much organ music the entire game. I suggest that you turn on the radio instead of listening to the in-game music on this game.

For a children’s show, the game’s difficulty seems more oriented to adults than kids. The low amount of health provided meant that I died quite often, sometimes needlessly, because of incoming flying enemies. Tom and Jerry isn’t a revolutionary title, nor was it expected to be, but it gets the job done adequately enough to be a pleasant experience.